20/05/2026
Youโve learned how to brace. You take a big breath, try to engage your core 360 degrees, and still feel like nothing happens.
That is not always a technique issue. Sometimes, it is a tissue issue.
When I teach clients to brace properly, a lot of them can push their stomach forward, but they cannot engage effectively through their sides or lower back. That is usually where the problem shows up.
The QL and obliques can become completely locked down from heavy lifting, sitting, poor breathing mechanics, or constantly living in extension. When that tissue gets restricted, it can feel like a straightjacket around your midsection.
Your QL connects your pelvis to your lowest rib. If it is tight and glued down, your lower back cannot expand properly when you breathe and brace.
And if you cannot create proper intra-abdominal pressure, your lower back usually ends up taking the hit when you squat, deadlift, or load heavy.
This is why in a massage session, we are not just treating the QL to reduce pain. We are treating it to restore function. That includes helping the abdominals, obliques, ribs, and lower back work together again.
Release the tissue so you can breathe deeper, brace harder, and protect your spine under load.
If you feel like you cannot get air into your lower back before a heavy lift, your mechanics may be restricted.
Treat the tissue. Fix the brace.
Do you struggle to feel your lower back expand when you brace?
๐ DVS Coaching | Remedial Massage
๐๐ปโโ๏ธRemedial Therapist/ Online Coach
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